weigh-in #1 and goals

Well, what a great day!!! It was so incredibly busy today!

So I am trying to find a way to post all the goals on the side of the blog, but not finding a way to do that..I will post a few of my goals below and keep working at a solution for that.

I didn't plan my meals as well as I would have liked to. I was moving out of the pet sitting house and didn't have the food I needed, uggg. Every day seems to present even more lessons to learn.

I did actually eat very healthy, but more calories than I have set as a goal. Tonight I was really tired and didn't want to do any work out at all. I decided to pull out the wii fit and did 30 minutes of "free step" and stepped more than 3400 steps. Then, I did the basic run for 3 minutes!!! I can't believe it..I RAN for three minutes!!!!

So, here are the details for today, I need to get some sleep to meet my sleep goal, and I have a really busy day tomorrow.

Weigh-in today: 7.3 pounds closer to my goal!!!
I ate over on my calories and worked out waaay over my activity goal. Overall deficit of 1455 calories.

Daily Goals
I will:
track food and activity on the body bugg
plan my food at night for the next day
post on my blog daily
ask for help when I need it

Weekly goals
I will:
move 3 pounds closer to my weight goal per week
researchfor more protien options
try 1 new recipe
set goals on Sundays
weigh in every monday
do the C2K program 3x per week

Monthly Goals
I will:
move 15 pounds closer to my weight goal per month
hit my activity goal every day
do a work out at the gym 3x per week
be able to run 1 mile without stopping, and 1 more every month

Ultimate Goals
I will:
become 110 pounds lighter
feel healthy, strong and proud of myself

I will list the rewards for these tomorrow.

I also have the goal of running a 5k in September. Date to be announced!!

thanks again for reading. I am so tired and need to get to bed.

Learning and growing into a healthier me!
~Cindy Lou

goals

Hello all!

Well, week one is complete basically and I have written out all of my goals. However, it is 1:15am, and I have a very busy day tomorrow, so all of the goals will be posted by then. I am also trying to find a way to post on a separate section of the blog.

My activity was not up all the way, my calories were were they should be for a total deficit of 1058. I have found that with eating 4 meals a day, I focus on a breakfast that is about 400-500 calories, lunch about 350-400, snack and dinner about 300 each, then I stay below my calorie target of 1600 per day. It is so much easier for me to break it down that way. Then at the end of the day I usually look on the bodybugg site at the distribution of calories, and find out where the calories are out of balance (protien, carbs, fat) and try and figure out better choices for next time.

I made some gluten free flafels tonight to have this coming week. Of course they taste the best fried, but obviously that wouldn't be the healthiest choice, right? You will never guess how I cooked them...I used my grill pan!! (yes, I also think that I am becoming obsessed). I also cooked some in the oven, we'll see which taste better, but the ones from the grill pan look better.

I have a weigh-in in the morning. Wish me luck!

Okay, tomorrow will be a much more exciting post, I am tired and really need to get the sleep in, work, moving back home, grocery shopping, cleaning up where I am leaving, unpacking at the new place, posting my goals for all of you to see, going to the gym for atleast 30 min...I am getting tired just thinking about tomorrow.

Thanks for reading.

Learning and growing into a healthier me!
~Cindy Lou

movies and inactivity

A few lessons learned today. I know that we all need a day of rest, so I can claim that, I guess.

I didn't meet my activity goal, but I was under in my calories, surprisingly(you will understand what I mean when you read below), but luckily I did have a calorie deficit of 980!

I had a job tonight and was asked to take the kids to the movies. I love going to the movies! On my way to the job, I had a pep talk about not buying popcorn to eat during the movie. I know it is gluten free, I checked in the past. but, obviously we all know how many calories that popcorn has and how much fat. Well, I didn't buy any popcorn!! however, I ended up eating a couple of small handfuls when on of the kids didn't finish hers. I got them in bed and ate an apple to hopefully balance it out :). The lesson I learned today was that even with a peptalk, I still need to completely change my thinking, it isn't enough to just try, I have to mentally make the connection so that i don't even have a desire to try it. I will have mnay more opportunities to leap this hurdle.

I worked on my goals that i will post tomorrow night. They will include daily, weekly, monthly and ultimate goals and "rewards" for each goal.

I put beans on to soak and made gluten free tortillas to enjoy tomorrow!

I look forward to a bunch of activity tomorrow, but it is getting late so I better get to bed or I won't get my 7 hours of sleep in!!

Learning and growing into a healthier me!
~Cindy Lou

shoes

I did it! I ate like a king at breakfast and decreased my calories at each meal. i did go higher on calories than my goal, but I know why and can adjust that easily.

So I got my new shoes that I ordered!! Jillian raved about her KSWISS tubes. I ordered a pair online and got them today. It sure did motivate me to do some activity!! So, I took the dog where I am pet sitting for a 2 mile walk! When I got back, even though it was freezing outside, I did some swimming. Only about 10 minutes because I realized I needed to cook some dinner since it was getting closer to 9. Oh by the way, I LOVED the new shoes!! link is posted on blog to the right if you want to check them out.

Only a little work planned for the weekend, so I will be working on all of my goals so that they will be posted on Monday along with my weigh in progress. i also plan to do my "last chance workout" like they have on biggest loser. Mine won't be quite the same, but I plan to do a ton!!

oh, calorie deficit for today is about 1900, and i didn't even log the swimming.

thanks for reading!

Learning and growing into a healthier me.
~Cindy Lou

eat like a king for breakfast...

You know the saying "eat like a king for breakfast, a prince for lunch and a pauper for dinner"--jillian says to add in another pauper somwhere too. Well, that is a goal for tomorrow! I am noticing a trend that I eat bigger meals at dinner. I thought that my dinner tonight would be way fewer calories than it was.

P D C A..plan do check adjust(thanks Orrin Woodward for the reminder).
plan: my meals for today
do: ate them
check: found total calorie count
adjust: tomorrow, figure the calories in advance, and eat bigger at breakfast

got my 7 hours of sleep
planned and packed my meals
stayed within calorie range
hit my activity and steps goal
--deficit (activity-calories)..1973!!!!
no actual work out besides massive amounts of housework/organizing at a job.

I used the stand by of jack in the box rice bowl (half the rice/double the veggies) for lunch (I planned it this morning and picked up on way to work). then i ended up with stir fry for dinner..not great planning as far as variety, but tons of veggies!!

The big success is that I ran into the store to get the ginger root that I needed to make the stir fry, and Kettle Chips(yes they are gluten free) were on sale. I walked right past them and onto the produce isle!! I didn't even contemplate getting them!! Oh, and while I was out and about, I bought this cool gadget called a "Misto". you add olive oil to it and then it sprays the oil, like using "PAM", but no chemicals or propellants! Can't wait to try it out.

Lots of you say you are "following me" on this blog, so thanks!! why don't you click the "follow" button on the blog? Love to hear your comments and input too.

Another busy day tomorrow, and more goals to set and achieve!

Learning and growing into a healthier me.
~Cindy Lou

Okay, so Jillian says a minimum of 7 hours of sleep. What if i wake up at 6 hours, and go back to sleep for about an hour, does that count? Ugg..need to do more reading and tweet Jillian my question. So, I guess I sort of got 7 hours of sleep. I was below my calorie goal and above my calorie burn, for a deficit of 1754 calories. yee haw!! When I add in my work outs, it is going to be even better!

Today while hanging with one of the kids I care for we played some basketball. It sure is better to be burning calories while doing something fun!

Food adventure tonight...I grilled some tofu! Well, I can't really say I loved it. I will need to try another option tomorrow. One bite and I was done with it.

Off to plan meals for tomorrow. I will be eating 2 of them away from home, so need to figure that out! I will be working 8 hours, which I haven't done since I started this blog. Also, I will be organizing a home for the first 4 hours and running around with kids for the second 4 hours, so I will get some good activity in!!

Learning and growing into a healthier me.
~Cindy Lou

I have decided that my big focus this week needs to just be the food-did I already mention that? I have been really good about all of that, and if i can get that habit set, then I can add in a bigger focus on work outs.

Been tracking everything on body bugg. With only my regular activity, I have a deficit of about 1325 calories because I burned more than I ate, so that is cool!

I have to say that my favorite thing that I purchased is my grilling pan, I am cookign so much on it, and can't wait to have more veggies grilled tomorrow! Still on a quest for more protien sources. I think that tomorrow i am going to try and grill a slice of the tofu that I purchased. I was told that if I drained it and froze it that it would have a better texture for me. So, half of the tofu is in the fridge and half in the freezer. Now I need to find a good tofu recipe. Any suggestions??

Sunday I will post my short, mid and long term goals. Thanks Jenn for the pep talk and support!

Learning and growing into a healthier me.
~Cindy Lou

improving

I am tired, so this will be short.

I was short on my calorie burn, and higher than planned on my calorie intake, but overall, I burned 900 calories more than i consumed, so that is good. Working on better protien sources that are not high in fat(even though it is good fat) that i get in nuts.

not feeling hungry, eating every 4 hours as planned, and got 8 hours of sleep last night. overall, a good day, but looking forward to the challenge of tomorrow with not being home all day...actually have to work. :)

Learning and growing into a healthier me
~Cindy Lou

priorities

Happy Father's Day to all!

I wanted to start with apologizing up front for any typing, grammar or punctuation errors and of course, rambling. I am mainly focused on just getting my thoughts out there, but I'll improve, I promise.

I had today off, so I started out with grand plans to do a ton of working out today. I also had a ton of errands to run, dads to see, and meals to plan. I started to realize that I need to better manage my time to match my priorities and goals. Right now, my priority is my health, but there are always things that have to get done. I know this is a struggle for everyone, but something that I have learned through reading Jillian's book and from many other books and speakers I know, is that goals need to be written down and seen daily to make them happen. Kinda like if you want to go on a trip, you have to decide on the destination before you can go there right? Like so many things, just because I know what to do, doesn't mean I always do them. I need to change my thinking if I want to change my life.

I also thought a bunch about habits that I need to change, that I didn't even know think about being habits. I went to Jack in the Box today..No, I didn't eat some high calorie meal. I ordered a side of rice and side of vegetables with half the rice and double the vegetables and I got water. The old habit would have been to get it with all the rice, and possibly order a lemonade. I planned to add hemp seed for some protien, but totally forgot to add it. No protien made me feel hungry before the 4 hour mark. ugg..lesson learned.

Ongoing goals: Minimum of 7 hours of sleep, eating all food groups at each meal, every 4 hours and no food after 9pm. This last one is still a challenge, but mainly because I get up later, go to bed later. However, I am always done eating at least 2 hours before food and bed.

Progess for today:
I got 8 hours of sleep, I stayed within my calorie goal, I also tried something new, grilled asparagus and egg plant on my new grill pan! I did some exercise. It was only about 30 minutes, 16 was riding a stationary bike 5 miles then some weights and jump rope. I reactivated my bodybugg, purchased food scale, some new cooking supplies, some healthy food, including tofu, and ordered a new pair of work out shoes. I also pulled out some cook books to help me figure out how to have more protien and variety in my diet. Will soak the dry beans so tomorrow I can make some chili. Wish me luck!

Goals before tomorrow night: Tonight and tomorrow I will be making short, mid and long term goals, along with "rewards" for attaining those goals for meals, exericise, eating times and sleep.

Learning and growing into a healthier me,
~Cindy Lou

planning success

Well, much better day today! I planned my 4 meals and stuck within the calorie limit that i set. No real exercise today, but starting tomorrow i will be on a better schedule.

I had an amazing day friday, and it made me reflect on what i enjoy having in my life. I talked to a great friend, Heidi, and was reminded of how important it is to be grounded and how good it feels to live in balalance. I am not good at relaxing or taking time for myself, but Friday gave me a glimpse of how important it is. Thanks, Heidi!

Well, keeping that in mind...Sunday I will be working on planning for the whole week with food, trying some new recipes because it seems that like always, the lack of protien is a big challenge. I will be scheduling in actual work out time, and sleep time too!!

Goals for this week are to look at Jillian Michael's book "Mastering your Metabolism" book and make sure that 1-I am in line with her guidelines 2-make the changes i can now, 3-set goals to achieve the ones I can't put into action right now.

Thanks again for reading.

learning and growing into a healthier me.
~Cindy Lou

planning

what did I do and learn Friday?? I need to plan!! By nature I am a planner, but when it comes to planning a work out time or meals, that is a future strength, not a current one. i had a fabulous day, and avoided some temptations that in the past I would have eaten/purchased, but I didn't eat regularly at all!! I was gone from home all day, and there was no gap between activities to go purchase something at the grocery store to eat. When I got home at 10pm, i was famished, but luckily, no headache from not eating, I attempted to eat a new gluten free veggie burger i purchased, but it tasted so awful, i just tossed it and settled for a bowl of granola and some left over popcorn, because it was easy. Again, not a great food day, and no real physical activity(except picking strawberries), but today Saturday will be much better.

Learning and growing into a healthier me
~Cindy Lou

Welcome!

Hi, welcome to my blog, and thanks for reading it!

So here’s my story...like many of you, I have battled with my weight for many years. I have tried many organized forms of weight loss, read books and tried those methods, done a detox…does any of this sound familiar? I’ve made a decision and the time it now to conquer this.

All of this big transformation started to snowball in January 2008 when I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease and I had to make a major lifestyle change and go gluten free. Then in December 2008 I became debt free. That brings me to April 2010when I became clutter free. I went through every single thing that I own and decided to donate it, shred it, recycle it or keep it. Basically everything that I kept is something that I use regularly, inspires me, or are memories from my childhood. I have always read things that say to de-clutter and it will feel amazing! Or, get rid of that extra stuff, it is smothering you. Well, I guess I needed to experience it myself to really get it, but now I get it and can I just say…it felt like 400 pounds was lifted off of my shoulders!!!

So, you might be asking why I say that this is a “Jillian inspired journey”. Let’s see, I don’t watch TV at home, but online I watch the Biggest Loser and now Losing it with Jillian. She has always inspired me with how she has helped so many people. I think that recently with her new show, you get to see even more of her heart and about who she is and that she just wants to help as many people as she can. The focus is always fitness and food, but through her example with the people she helps I see that the biggest thing is to realize I needed to look inside of myself and figure out why I am the way I am with food.

I am a single woman who works as a nanny for many families. I eat a vegetarian diet that is gluten free and rarely consume refined sugar. I have 110 pounds to go to get to my goal weight and in reaching any goal, you need to have it written down and you need to have a deadline. So, here is my BHAG(Big hairy audacious goal)…I want to go on Jillian Michael’s wellness cruise, October 21-25, and be healthier than I am now. That gives me 122 days, and my goal is to lose 60 pounds by that date.

Now..why the blog? Well, I do better with accountability, and hopefully something that I say will help you and something you say will help me. That's what it's all about, right? it takes a community and no one can do it alone. Please push me for details, call me on my excuses and let me know what you think I can do to be better.

Thanks again for reading.

Learning and growing into a healthier me
~Cindy Lou